Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 143 Murder and Robbery 6

Two days later, a group of about a hundred people suddenly appeared near the blazing lava river. However, compared to two days ago, their number had decreased by more than a dozen.

This mysterious volcanic region has an extremely abnormal climate. During the day, the heat is unbearable, as if it can melt everything; at night, it becomes extremely cool, sometimes even freezing. Obviously, this place is not an ideal place to recuperate.

Caesars was embarking on a thrilling adventure within a deep volcanic cave. As soon as he entered, he felt a stifling heat and suffocation. The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur, making it nearly impossible to breathe. He could only don his alchemical mask.

Looking down, you'll see crystal-clear volcanic springs flowing from the ground. But don't be fooled by their appearance: these springs are not only extremely hot but also somewhat corrosive, making them not suitable for drinking. Interestingly, as these scalding and corrosive springs slowly flow through certain areas, they leave behind patches of bright, yellow sulfur crystals, like works of art gifted by nature.

In this perilous environment, a unique creature tenaciously survives—the fiery red mushroom. These mushrooms, called Flame Mushrooms, are the coveted treasure of fire mages. They can be eaten directly, and once consumed, they instantly boost a fire mage's magical power, increasing the attack power of fire spells by ten percent. This effect only lasts for approximately ten minutes.

Of course, if the Flame Mushroom is refined into a potion, the bonus to spell power gained will be even more significant. Flame Mushrooms have no effect on mages of other types, only fire mages can benefit from them.

In Caesar's eyes, these flame mushrooms are undoubtedly piles of glittering gold coins, representing a huge fortune.

Regardless of size, Kaesas collected all the flame mushrooms. He didn't know when he would return to the volcanic region. After finishing everything, he took out the animal hide map and marked the location of the cave, noting that flame mushrooms grew there.

The black demon snake waiting at the cave entrance hissed, and Caesars hurried over. A mercenary group was slowly passing by the lava river opposite the cave entrance.

Through the magic viewing mirror, it was clear that these people were the target that Caesars had been waiting for two days - the Golden Viper Mercenary Group. These people were not in good condition and looked exhausted.

"Saint Paul, they've lost their magician, so it's time for you to help out tonight. It's over a month's journey from here to the Stone Mountains, so just bite one or two mercenaries a day. Once you complete the mission, I'll take you to the Northland Plateau to find the Lightning Rats!"

Faced with the immense allure of the Lightning Mouse, the Black Demon Snake, like a springy black spring, bounced several times in place. Its arm-thin body could leap over two meters high before landing lightly. Clearly delighted with the offer, it readily accepted it.

"Okay, then let's wait until nightfall before we act! Then, you sneak up quietly and launch a surprise attack. After biting your target, immediately run away. Don't worry, I will cast a spell to intercept those mercenaries who try to chase you!"

It was a long journey to reach the Rocky Mountains, and simply walking would have been a torture for Caesars. After all, the journey was too monotonous and tedious, and it naturally became a side activity for Caesars to pass the time during his trip, just in time for Trudeau and his group.

The further east they advanced, the scarcer resources became, and encounters with various magical beasts became increasingly difficult. Rodman had once told Kaisas: In the volcanic region near the Gravel Mountains, even encountering a low-level magical beast was considered a stroke of luck. Because of the constant influx of mercenaries exploring that area, nearly every inch of land had been scouted countless times.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Caesars emerged from the volcanic cave and slowly headed southeast. Trudeau and his group were just over twenty miles away, and they were about to stop for a rest.

Like a ghost in the night, the black demon snake followed Caesars as they approached Trudeau's camp. There were over fifty tents, with traps scattered around outside. Without the magician's camp, the so-called defenses were already full of loopholes.

"Saint Paul, this is how you enter, this is how you exit!"

Caesars discovered that the ground west of the camp had no signs of being disturbed, and immediately gave orders to the black snake.

In the pitch-black, silent night, a pitch-black, eerie black snake silently twisted its slender, flexible body. Its belly scraped gently against the ground, making a faint sound that, if not carefully listening, might be mistaken for the breeze.

The black snake didn't stop advancing, instead accelerating its speed. Like a flash of black lightning, it pounced directly at the night watchman outside the camp. When it was only three or four meters away from its target, the black snake suddenly contracted its body and leaped up like a spring compressed to its limit. Using its powerful forward momentum, it opened its mouth, revealing its sharp fangs, and bit the night watchman's neck with lightning speed.

The night watchman was dozing off when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. Instinctively, he reached for his neck. The black snake had already quickly released its jaws and dropped lightly to the ground. Then, without hesitation, it turned and slithered towards Caesars at astonishing speed.

Surprisingly, the night watchman attacked by the black snake seemed oblivious to the severity of the situation. Perhaps his reaction was too slow, or perhaps the snake's fangs didn't cause him much pain. In short, he neither cried out in fear nor took any effective countermeasures. He simply rubbed his neck absentmindedly and continued pacing around his assigned area as usual.

Time ticked by, and about two minutes later, the poisoned mercenary began to show unusual symptoms—first, white foam began to flow from the corners of his mouth, and then his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. He could no longer hold on, and with a dull thud, he fell to the ground.

Only then did the others finally realize something was amiss, and they all rushed towards the fallen mercenary. Upon seeing their blackened companions on the ground, the entire Golden Viper camp was thrown into chaos...

"Saint Paul, you bit a fool!"

Kaisas had originally planned to rescue the Black Snake, but his worries were in vain. He discovered that the Black Snake had become clever. The mercenary who had just been on guard was wearing a full-body composite leather armor, with soft leather reinforced protection in the vulnerable areas. The Black Snake could only attack above the neck.

Although the black snake was now as thick as a forearm, it was still too young, and its fangs lacked sufficient penetrating power. If it were an adult, the golden-eyed black snake would be twice as thick as a thigh, and its fangs would be able to pierce composite leather armor.

The next morning, when it was light, Caesars was still asleep when the black snake hissed and woke him up.

"what happened?"

Kaisas frowned slightly, looking suspiciously at the pitch-black demonic snake before him. Suddenly, a sense of foreboding washed over him, and he sat up abruptly, his gaze darting towards the distant camp that had once belonged to the Golden Viper.

However, what greeted them was an empty scene—those dozens of tents that had been scattered about in an orderly fashion had vanished without a trace! There was no doubt that Trudeau and his men had slipped away quietly under the cover of night.

"Damn it! These damned guys are so cunning!" Caesars cursed furiously, feeling extremely upset. If Trudeau and the others split up again and fled in different directions, then his plan would probably be shattered.

Thinking of this, Caesars didn't dare to delay even a moment and hurriedly packed his luggage. A moment later, he set out on the pursuit with the Black Demon Snake.

Before long, they reached the edge of the camp where the Golden Vipers had once been stationed. The carefully laid traps on the ground were still intact, clearly indicating their hasty evacuation, with no time to dismantle them. And from the traces left ahead, it was clear that, just as Caesars had feared, the group had split into four groups and fled in different directions.

Faced with this situation, Caesars couldn't help but feel a headache. Since these people were already on guard, they would inevitably change their routes to avoid capture during their escape. In this way, even if Caesars tried his best and exhausted himself, it would be extremely difficult to capture them all in one fell swoop.

One of the four teams must have had injured personnel, as evidenced by the obvious marks left by crutch marks on the volcanic ash. Assuming Trudeau wouldn't be taking the injured with him, Caesars prepared to abandon this team and begin tracking the other mercenaries.

Caesars began to track the group heading north. At first, he could still see their footprints. Half an hour later, he came to a rocky area ahead, where he could no longer find any trace of the other party.

"Saint Paul, it's your turn to contribute!"

Kaisas took out the black snake from his backpack and placed it on the rocky ground. Its dark tongue flickered, sniffing out the remaining scent of the enemy. Then the black snake led Kaisas westward in pursuit. The enemy was too cunning to actually choose to escape in the opposite direction.

Caesars was furious. This group of people had gone west, causing him considerable trouble. Even if he killed them all, it would only take him a long time to catch up with the others.

Spells such as Swiftness were cast on him, and Caesars drank a bottle of high-level agility potion and began to track those people to the west.

It was after noon before he saw the figures in front of him: more than forty mercenaries wearing composite leather armor and carrying magic steel longbows on their backs.

"All archers!"

On a scorching wasteland, a group of archers were resting beside a huge, towering rock. This huge rock was like a natural barrier, not only shielding them from the scorching sun that was hanging high in the sky and burning like fire, but also blocking part of their vision to a certain extent.

Faced with such a dense barrage of arrows, even Kaisas, blessed with two powerful protective bracelets, knew he could not withstand them head-on. After careful consideration, he cleverly maneuvered around the archers' blind spot and cautiously approached his target from the south side of the boulder.

At this moment, the archers huddled together, trying to escape the unbearable scorching sun. For Caesars, this was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He silently began to climb the ten-meter-tall rock, each step cautious and light, fearing that even the slightest sound would alert the enemy.

Fearing someone might escape during the chaos, Caesars chose not to use magic this time. He silently pulled out six or seven bizarrely shaped alchemical bombs from his space ring. These alchemical bombs emitted faint magical fluctuations, seemingly imbued with endless destructive power.

Then, Caesars concentrated his mind and used his powerful magic to activate these alchemical bombs one by one. Then, without hesitation, he threw them all towards the bottom of the huge rock, where the archers were standing close together.

Instantly, a series of deafening explosions echoed across the wasteland. The area beneath the massive rock was instantly enveloped in billowing smoke and dust, and debris flew everywhere. The powerful force of the explosions even sent severed limbs flying directly to the top of the rock.

For Caesars, obtaining the archers' storage rings was no longer the most important thing. What truly mattered was killing the Golden Viper Mercenaries. The items left behind by the eight magicians were already a staggering fortune. In comparison, the archers' belongings were, at best, mere trifles.

Even though it was just a few melons and dates, it could still be sold for a few gold coins. Caesars arrived at the base of the boulder, looking at the mutilated corpse and smelling the strong smell of blood. He searched among the corpses for a storage ring and a intact magic steel bow. As for the leather armor stained with flesh and blood, he no longer cared about it.

The black magic snake swam around in the blood and minced meat, and soon it came to the side of Caesar and spat out two bloody storage rings from its mouth.

"Saint Paul, good job! Keep looking, I'll get you some water to bathe in a bit!"

Finding nine storage rings and several undeformed magic steel bows was an unexpected gain. Caesars reached out and gently patted the black snake's head, completely ignoring the thick blood that covered its pitch-black skull.